ADJUSTABLE ROLLER BRACKET DEVICE FOR RETRACTABLE DOOR HINGE
The present invention provides an adjustable roller bracket for a retractable door hinge assembly. The adjustable roller bracket device comprises a mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion comprises a horizontal face having a first aperture and an upstanding plate member having a mounting section with a second aperture therein, an adjustable roller support portion, wherein the roller support portion comprises a tubular support member and at least a third aperture and wherein a fastener secures the roller support portion to the mounting section in a predetermined position. The roller support portion is adjusted relative to the hinge assembly accordingly so that the use of different sized hinges are no longer required during the installation of overhead retractable door panels.
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This patent application claims the priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/570,538 which was filed on May 12, 2004, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to an adjustable roller bracket device for a garage door hinge. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable roller bracket device used in conjunction with a single type of garage door hinge for use with overhead door constructions wherein a plurality of hingedly connected panels are employed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOverhead doors are well known. Especially common are sectional, roll up doors that employ a pair of tracks for rollers. Each track has a vertical portion for retaining door panels in a vertical or closed orientation, and each track has a horizontal portion for retaining door panels in a horizontal or open orientation.
There are numerous designs of overhead or retractable door assemblies which are commonly used for garage doors, truck doors, warehouse doors, etc. Such doors can be manually operated, or can be automatically operated using electric motors or the like, to pull the panels of the door upwardly along the tracks, when the door is being opened, or push the door downwardly to a closed position, when reversed. Such retractable overhead doors are conventionally constructed of a number of vertically arranged horizontal panels which can fold along the horizontal divisions between the panels, thereby enabling the doors to assume the configuration of a curved track as they moved between closed and retracted positions. The panels assume a vertically juxtaposed planar configuration when in the closed position to thereby present a solid face and close the door opening. The vertically arranged horizontal panels are connected by two or more hinge assemblies between each of the adjacent horizontal panels. The hinge assemblies are typically provided at least at each side of the door, and include a roller adapted to run in parallel tracks which are installed vertically on each side of the door. The track then curves at the top before becoming horizontal parallel tracks, suspended from the ceiling for example.
For proper installation of such doors, different types of hardware may be necessary. For example, certain retractable door designs have the side guide tracks installed at an angle so that the door panels approach the door frame as the door panels are lowered into position. This design ensures that the door panels are moved against the door frame when the retractable door is in a lowermost closed position. This design, however, requires hinges of different design at various panel elevations on the door in order to accommodate the different distances from the side guide tracks to the door frame. These hinges are typically numbered from #1 to #13 to accommodate most designs of retractable door. The hinge brackets which connect the several door sections and carry the rollers are therefore usually made with different fixed amounts of offset between the inner face of the door and the axis of the roller depending upon the position of the hinge bracket is to assume relative to the door and tracks. If the hinge is to be near the top of the door, the offset must be greater since in this region the track is farther away from the doorjamb relative to the hinges near the bottom of the door.
A number of different hinges must be therefore be manufactured, raising the costs thereof. Further, the user must maintain an inventory of all the different types of hinges that are used during the installation of retractable doors. It would therefore be desirable to eliminate the plurality of standard hinges, to provide cost savings and ease of use. The user would greatly benefit by utilizing a single type of garage door hinge in conjunction with an adjustable roller bracket device for a garage door hinge during the installation of a garage door.
The hinges used in installation of retractable doors are also generally constructed of relatively thin gauge material. This results in a hinge construction which may not provide sufficient support for very large door configurations or if unusual forces are applied to the door. For example, in areas that may experience high winds, such as from a hurricane or the like. In areas susceptible to such forces, building codes may require retractable doors constructed with typical hinges to be fortified or reinforced, adding to the installation time and cists. It would therefore be worthwhile to provide a hinge construction which would provide more structural integrity in heavier duty applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBased on the foregoing, there is a need to provide a device which will enable an adjustable roller bracket device to be used in conjunction with a single type of retractable door hinge for use with overhead door constructions wherein a plurality of hingedly connected panels are employed. The present invention is therefore directed to an adjustable roller bracket device which is cost-effective as well as being easily used and maintained. An embodiment of the present invention comprises an adjustable roller bracket for a retractable door hinge. The adjustable roller bracket includes a mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion comprises a horizontal face having a first aperture and an upstanding plate member having a mounting section with a second aperture therein, an adjustable roller support portion, wherein the roller support portion comprises a tubular support member and at least a third aperture and wherein a fastener secures the roller support portion to the mounting section in a predetermined position.
Another embodiment of the present invention comprises door hinge assembly. The door hinge assembly includes a plurality of hinge plates and a roller bracket member, wherein the roller bracket member is selectively coupled to the hinge members.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of utilizing a single type of garage door hinge assembly during the installation of a retractable garage door system. The method comprises providing a garage door hinge assembly comprising a first and second mounting plate, wherein each mounting plate has at least one aperture and a pair of spaced ears extending from each mounting plate and having an aperture therein for supporting a horizontal tube, wherein the tube provides a stationary bearing support for a shaft associated with a roller. The method also includes providing an adjustable roller bracket comprising a mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion comprises a horizontal face having a first aperture and an upstanding plate member having a second aperture and an adjustable roller support portion, wherein the roller support portion comprises a tubular support member and a third aperture. The method also includes providing a plurality of spaced roller guide tracks mounted on the interior of a building, securing the garage door hinge assembly onto a pair of adjacent garage door panels, placing the roller bracket onto the first mounting plate or the second mounting plate, securing the roller bracket onto the first or second mounting plate and adjusting the roller support portion such that the tubular support member is capable of accommodating a shaft of a roller, thereby connecting the track and door panels.
The invention and embodiments thereof which are shown and described in the following description and drawings, achieves these and other objects and advantages of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the assembly of a sectional, retractable, overhead door, a plurality of horizontal door sections or panels are connected together by vertically positioned hinge plates spaced along the side edge portions thereof. The door slides along parallel spaced roller guide tracks mounted on the interior of the building, it is conventional to mount a roller on the side of each hinge plate to connect the track and door panels.
In most modern retractable overhead door constructions, it is customary to have the rising leg of each track inclined away from the doorjamb or frame. To accommodate this, it is necessary that the rollers of successive hinge assemblies are spaced further and further away from the attached hinge plates, so that the door sections adopt a vertical position when closing the door opening. Therefore, it is typically necessary for an installer to stock a different hinge unit for each door panel section of the door to be installed.
To overcome this difficulty, the present invention provides an adjustable roller bracket device for a retractable door hinge. The adjustable roller bracket device 10 of an embodiment for use with a conventional door hinge is illustrated in
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In the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the Figs., it is noted that the hinge 11, being a standard #1 hinge assembly, is constructed of a metal material having a certain gauge or thickness. Typically, the standard hinge assemblies 11 utilize are constructed of 14-gauge material, which in certain applications, simply does not provide sufficient structural integrity to withstand expected forces, such as may be encountered in a hurricane or the like, or to properly support larger and heavier retractable door systems. It is therefore an aspect of the invention to provide device 10 with increased structural integrity, such that when combined with the standard hinge assembly 11, provides a hinge and roller support assembly which has greatly increased structural integrity. As an example, the device 10 may be constructed of an 11-gauge material, being substantially thicker than the typical materials from which hinge assembly 11 is formed, to increase rigidity and load carrying capacity. Further, for desired applications, providing support tube 42 on the roller support portion 24, enables larger, higher load carrying rollers to be used in conjunction therewith. In standard hinge assemblies 11, the standard roller axle or stem has a diameter or 7/16 inches, which may not be suitable for withstanding significant forces or for use with large heavy retractable door systems. The provision of a separable and adjustable roller support portion 24 enables different roller configurations to be used, to provide the desired structural integrity for a particular application. For example, the tubular support 42 may be configured to support a larger roller axle or shaft, such as a 5/8 inch diameter shaft rather than the standard 7/16 inch shaft. Other roller configurations may also be easily accommodated by merely providing alternative axle support 42 in conjunction with support portion 24.
In accordance with the present invention, the adjustable roller bracket device 10 allows adjustment of roller support portion 24 to accommodate all of the various offsets which may be encountered in installation of a retractable door system. It is particularly advantageous if odd height door configurations are encountered, wherein standard #1-#13 hinges simply will not accommodate other than standards height door configurations. With the full and continuous adjustability of support portion 24 relative to hinge assembly 11, any such atypically installations may also be accommodated. Although any desired adjustment is contemplated in the present invention, adjustability of the position of support tube 42 relative to hinge 11 may be up to 5 inches, which would allow use for all standard hinge configurations #2-#13.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. An adjustable roller bracket for a retractable door hinge, the roller bracket comprising:
- a mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion comprises an upstanding plate member having a mounting section;
- an adjustable roller support portion, wherein the roller support portion comprises a tubular support member and at least one aperture; and
- wherein the roller support portion is selectively secured to the mounting section in a predetermined position.
2. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 1, wherein the mounting section has at least one aperture in the upstanding plate member, which is configured as an elongated hole allowing adjustment of the mounting portion relative to a plate of a garage door hinge assembly.
3. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 1, wherein the mounting portion further comprises a hinge mounting portion for mounting to a standard retractable door hinge.
4. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 3, wherein the mounting portion has at least one aperture which is configured as an elongated hole allowing adjustment of the hinge mounting portion relative to a hinge to which it is selectively attached.
5. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 3, wherein the mounting portion is configured in an L-shape with the hinge mounting portion being selectively attached to a mounting plate of a standard hinge assembly.
6. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 1, wherein the upstanding plate member extends outwardly from the hinge assembly when the mounting portion is secured to the hinge assembly.
7. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 1, wherein the upstanding plate member is configured to allow the roller support portion to be variably positioned along a face of the upstanding plate member.
8. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 7, wherein a fastener is used to selectively secure the roller support portion in a desired position on the mounting portion.
9. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 1, wherein the position of the tubular support member is adjustable between standard hinge configurations #2 through #13.
10. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 1, wherein the roller support portion further comprises a plurality of flanges extending around the upstanding plate member when secured thereto to provide rigidity to the roller support portion, thereby increasing the structural integrity of the roller support portion.
11. The adjustable roller bracket of claim 1, wherein the roller bracket is prepared from at least 11-gauge material, thereby increasing rigidity and load carrying capacity of the bracket.
12. A method of utilizing a single type of garage door hinge assembly during the installation of a retractable garage door system, the method comprising:
- providing a garage door hinge assembly comprising: a first and second mounting plate, and a pair of spaced ears extending from each mounting plate and supporting a tube, wherein the tube provides a stationary bearing support for a shaft associated with a roller;
- providing an adjustable roller bracket comprising: a mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion comprises an upstanding plate member; and an adjustable roller support portion, wherein the roller support portion comprises a tubular support member;
- providing a plurality of spaced roller guide tracks mounted on the interior of a building;
- securing the single type of garage door hinge onto a pair of adjacent garage door panels;
- securing the roller bracket onto the hinge such that the upstanding plate extends outwardly from the hinge;
- securing the roller bracket onto the first or second mounting plate; and
- adjusting and securing the roller support portion to the upstanding plate such that the tubular support member is positioned variably with respect to the hinge and is capable of accommodating a shaft of a roller, thereby connecting the track and door panels.
13. A retractable door hinge assembly comprising:
- a plurality of hinge plates; and
- a roller bracket member, wherein the roller bracket member is selectively coupled to the hinge members in variable positions, the roller bracket member comprising a tubular support member capable of accommodating a shaft of a roller at different positions relative to the hinge plates.
14. The door hinge assembly of claim 13, wherein the hinge plates couple adjacent panels of a retractable garage door system.
15. The door hinge assembly of claim 13, wherein the different positions of the tubular support member replace the standard hinge configurations #2 through #13.
16. The door hinge assembly of claim 13, wherein the tubular support member is variably positioned along an axis orthogonal to the hinge axis.
Type: Application
Filed: May 12, 2005
Publication Date: Dec 15, 2005
Applicant: DENCO MARKETING CO. (Millersburg, OH)
Inventor: Samuel Sarver (Pemberville, OH)
Application Number: 10/908,454